[0:04] Good morning everybody. We're going to go ahead and start with some proclamations before the meeting. Good
[0:15] morning everybody. If you could, please take your seats.
[0:23] hey, good morning. First, we're going to start with some proclamations
[0:29] for the irish-italian parade. Our largest parade in
[0:33] jefferson parish, and a parade for which I am a previous
[0:38] italian grand marshal who knew that hans liljeberg was mostly
[0:42] italian. But if harry lee can
[0:46] be irish, then I can be italian. Let me step down.
[1:07] first, we have a certificate of merit. It is known that.
[1:27] in appreciation of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson confers this
[1:31] certificate of merit upon jason ritten, captain of the irish italian parade. For the
[1:37] 2026 carnival season. Jason.
[1:58] we also have a certificate of merit for the honorable cameron henry, the irish
[2:03] grand marshal, for the irish-italian parade. Be it
[2:09] known that, in appreciation of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of
[2:13] jefferson confers this certificate of merit upon
[2:18] cameron henry. And last
[2:32] but not least, be it known... In appreciation
[2:36] of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson confers a certificate
[2:40] of merit upon eric youngblood, the italian grand marshal. The irish italian
[2:45] parade. Council. The
[2:55] president. Senator. Wait, one more, one more. Yep. Thank you.
[3:16] congratulations. Thank you. We
[4:22] also have some certificates of merit for the st.
[4:26] patrick's day parade for the 2026 carnival season. Be it known that, in appreciation
[4:32] of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson hereby confers this
[4:37] certificate of merit upon kelly kerrigan, captain of the st. Patrick's parade
[4:41] of jefferson. We also have
[5:24] certificates of merit for the queen gaynell wilt and the
[5:28] grand marshal cardinal wilt. They are unfortunately or fortunately not with us today because they have a grandchild
[5:33] being born in baton rouge. So I'm going to leave this with you. Thank you all. Thank
[5:38] you so much. Oh look,
[5:49] he's cute. One more, y'all.
[6:04] madam president. On more,
[6:28] ya'll. Madam president. Hey, that was fun. I'm going
[6:34] to tell you all later. Thank
[6:55] you. Congratulations. Have a wonderful day. Have a good one.
[7:57] thank you, man. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, if we could have it quiet in chambers, please. I know.
[8:05] if we could have it quiet in chambers, please. Hans, I might need your help. I got
[8:10] this voice. I might need your
[8:16] help. All right, y'all have to pardon my voice this morning. I
[8:21] really am struggling. I normally don't, but this is bad. I'd like to
[8:26] present a proclamation this morning to mr. Ted shielander. Come up. Oh, sure.
[8:34] you're welcome. Hi. Good morning, sir. Everyone, this is ted shielander. He is a
[8:39] faithful member of the williams boulevard baptist church for over 30 years. He has been employed at the
[8:44] river ridge, winn-dixie location for 30 years, where he has served in various
[8:48] roles such as buggy collector and head bagger. Ted shielander has provided dependable services
[8:53] to his employer. And has never taken a day off for sickness, not one day. Ted sheelaner has
[9:04] lived most of his life in jefferson parish. He travels to work, church, shopping,
[9:09] etc. Via bicycle and public transportation. And again, has never missed a day. He is
[9:15] loved and appreciated by his co-workers and patrons of winn-dixie. He is known for going above and beyond and
[9:20] making sure customers are well taken care of when they visit. Ted sheelander has over 30 years,
[9:25] in his over 30 years, has touched the lives of countless people with his kindness and demeanor.
[9:29] therefore, the jefferson parish council hereby recognizes and congratulates
[9:34] ted sheelander for his 30 years of faithful service to winn-dixie and wish him success
[9:39] in all his future endeavors. Congratulations. Say it
[10:19] in here so they can hear you.
[10:24] this is my. Family from harlingen, texas. Christy schlander, my nephew, ryan
[10:30] fetting, and my other nephew, thomas whitehead. I didn't
[10:38] realize until last night they arrived here for this ceremony. Thank you,
[11:16] jefferson parish council. That is amazing. This is a certificate from windix.
[11:20] congratulations. Thank you.
[11:27] thank you so much. Thank you.
[11:35] thank you. Hi, it's liz yeager
[12:04] here from magnolia. Hi liz, I didn't see you sitting right there. Come on up. How are you?
[12:19] I'm ready. Will you quieten the
[12:27] chambers, please, everybody? We still have a couple more of these to do. All right,
[12:33] this is magnolia community services here today, and we're recognizing them for more than 90 years
[12:37] of service. Whereas, for more than 90 years, magnolia community services has
[12:42] served as a cornerstone of jefferson parish, providing compassionate care, housing, and vocational opportunities
[12:47] for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And whereas, magnolia community services
[12:52] remains steadfast in its mission to ensure that residents and clients have access to safe and comfortable
[12:57] housing, supported employment, individualized medical and behavioral care, wellness
[13:02] programs and enriching recreational activities. So that every individual may live their best life. And whereas?
[13:07] the month of march is recognized nationally as intellectual and developmental disabilities
[13:12] awareness month, dedicated to promoting understanding, inclusion, and advocacy for individuals living
[13:17] with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disabilities.
[13:22] and whereas on saturday, march 07, 2026, magnolia community services will host the second
[13:27] annual magnolia fest, magfest. On the historic grounds of
[13:31] magnolia's river road campus, offering a family-friendly community day, featuring live music and entertainment,
[13:36] children's activities, food, beverages, community art vendors, local resources, and
[13:41] whereas, more than halfway through. Internationally renowned musician delfeo marsalis and
[13:46] the uptown jazz orchestra will have once again committed to headline magnolia fest, enhancing the cultural and
[13:51] community spirit of the event. And whereas magnolia fest is expected to attract more than 500
[13:56] attendees... And will serve to raise awareness of the needs of individuals with developmental
[14:01] disabilities, while also generating critical support to help offset funding shortfalls in essential services. And
[14:06] whereas the jefferson parish council desires to recognize magnolia community services for nearly a century
[14:11] of exceptional service, compassion, and dedication to building a more inclusive and supportive parish
[14:16] for all citizens. And whereas the jefferson parish council does hereby recognize march 2026 as intellectual and
[14:23] developmental disabilities awareness month throughout jefferson parish. Now, therefore, the jefferson
[14:28] parish council of jefferson parish, louisiana, hereby recognizes and commends
[14:32] magnolia community services for more than 90 years of outstanding service to individuals with
[14:37] intellectual and developmental disabilities. And for its continued commitment to enhancing quality of life through advocacy, care,
[14:42] and community engagement. Congratulations and thank you for the work you do in our community. Well, thank
[14:56] you, thank you so much for recognizing magnolia
[15:01] community services. We really try hard to make sure that people with
[15:05] developmental intellectual disabilities get the care they
[15:09] need. And you truly truly appreciate the support and dedication
[15:14] from the council and from parish. Thank you so much. You
[15:19] want to come take a picture, everybody? Thank you. I met
[15:53] your buddy. Oh, okay. So I have
[16:46] a proclamation this morning, and certainly if the parish president, councilwoman,
[16:51] bohannon, anyone, certainly if you want to participate. Because I know
[16:56] we have all dealt in many different capacities
[17:00] with the person that we're going to honor in this proclamation today. If
[17:05] you've been around parish government and any efforts, you have come across. Debbie
[17:09] satun and so we are here this morning to present a proclamation to
[17:14] debbie. Whereas deborah satun has demonstrated outstanding
[17:19] dedication, leadership, and commitment to serve jefferson parish, whereas her
[17:24] sustained efforts over multiple decades greatly benefited the community, protecting them
[17:29] from storms, encouraging good government, and enhancing our quality
[17:35] of life. Whereas ms. Satun has served with distinction on the board of commissioners of the southeast louisiana
[17:41] flood protection authority east, previously serving as the only... Civil engineer on the
[17:47] jefferson parish levee board, contributing her knowledge and her expertise to the ongoing
[17:52] protection and safety of all of us here in southeast louisiana and this critical
[17:57] flood protection infrastructure. Whereas ms. Satun has been a champion for
[18:01] stronger flood protection systems and a tireless advocate for the safety and well-being of both pump operators and the
[18:07] citizens of southeast louisiana, whereas in her role as chair for
[18:12] citizens for a safer jefferson, ms. Satun coordinated volunteer
[18:17] engineers, and I remember this effort, to address pump backflow flooding, installed
[18:23] remote control operation at many of our pump stations following hurricane katrina, and worked
[18:29] closely with jefferson parish officials to design and construct safe houses,
[18:33] those that we have today, ensuring the protection and the readiness
[18:38] of our pump operators. She also developed the contraflow evacuation system.
[18:43] to enhance the efficiency of emergency evacuations.
[18:49] whereas ms. Satun has been an active and valued member of many other things,
[18:53] it's not just flood protection, jefferson beautification, inc., the jefferson parish
[18:57] tree preservation and propagation board, and the jefferson parish board of standards and appeals, as well
[19:03] as the umbrella group that we've had known as the east
[19:07] jefferson civic league. Whereas, she's participated in numerous community-focused
[19:13] activities, based on land use and development, enhancing public outreach
[19:17] on zoning requests, establishing rules for digital sign regulations,
[19:22] all intended to improve the environment and the governance of our community. Last whereas.
[19:27] whereas, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to improving flood resilience,
[19:33] disaster preparedness, public safety, and environmental stewardship
[19:38] in our region, she was honored in 2002 with the alliance for
[19:42] good governments civic leader of the year award. Very well deserved. Her integrity,
[19:48] professionalism, and passion for public service have inspired her colleagues and our
[19:53] community at large. Now, therefore, the jefferson parish council, the governing authority of jefferson
[19:58] parish, louisiana, hereby commends and recognizes deborah mabel satun
[20:03] in appreciation of her dedicated service and enduring contributions to jefferson
[20:08] parish. And when I tell you we could have listed so many more
[20:13] things, there were multiple resumes of activities that we could have
[20:17] included, so this is a small sampling of why we just wish to honor debbie satune this morning.
[20:22] debbie? I would like
[20:36] to say that, although I did not do this for recognition,
[20:40] that there are so many others out there who need to step up. As those
[20:45] of us who are aging. Step away
[20:50] a little. I really appreciate all the thought and effort and
[20:54] I've been challenged professionally and ethically
[20:59] recently. And this is a good, good feeling
[21:03] to have this award today. Thank you so much. You
[21:28] around next week? Yeah. Okay.
[21:38] thank you, dad. Great words. You deserve it all. Congratulations. Good morning.
[22:36] I'm here to recognize two of our employees with their 10-year service pins, victor
[22:41] larocca, our interim finance director. Victor, if you could, come up. Started working for
[22:45] jefferson parish on january 06, 2016 as our budget director. As budget director, victor
[22:50] helped the parish receive the government finance officers association outstanding
[22:55] budget award each year. At the onset of the covid
[22:59] pandemic, victor quickly evaluated at-risk parish revenue streams. And developed
[23:04] suggested operational cuts to ensure the parish's financial stability in a time
[23:08] of great uncertainty. In september of 2023, victor was asked to step up as the chief
[23:14] administrative assistant in my office. In march of last year, he became our
[23:18] interim finance director. Victor is a tireless public servant who never shies away
[23:22] from any task. That is very true. Able to provide supervision and guidance, but is also very hands-on. I will
[23:28] say, I'll use the word very steady. He's been a working director
[23:34] who regularly works until the job is finished. As such, he has endeared himself
[23:38] to his staff as someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. As interim director
[23:43] of finance, victor has provided his veteran leadership to reduce staff turnover, increase hiring,
[23:48] and getting the 2024 audit issued. So thank you so much, victor. So, for sure. All
[24:06] right, next, donna russo, citizens affairs director. You'll know, donna. You'll see
[24:10] her on the parade route all the time. Where's donna? Who celebrated her birthday on...
[24:18] mardi gras day, as well as chinese new year. What a day.
[24:22] lunar new year, I should say. So donna was hired as an executive assistant in the
[24:27] parish president's office on february 11, 2016. Only two months later, she was promoted to director of citizens affairs. Donna and her team are jefferson parish's carnival
[24:31] whisperers. In addition to establishing and maintaining a
[24:35] solid working relationship with the carnival crew captains, donna has also coordinated
[24:40] with the department of risk management and parish attorney's office. To ensure that the ordinance requirements
[24:45] for insurance have been updated. Dinah was instrumental in organizing many bicentennial kickoff celebrations and other
[24:50] festivities, all last year. She's also assisted
[24:55] with the revival of powerboat races in jefferson parish, councilman
[25:00] lidgerberg, that was in your district. The first race in 20 years took place on lake pontchartrain last
[25:04] spring, and the organizers plan to return this year. Dinah's lively spirit... And enthusiasm
[25:09] make her an incredible asset to jefferson parish. Thank you donna, thank you so much
[25:14] for all your work. Council
[25:21] members, if you want to come, take a picture with victor and donna. Welcome, welcome.
[25:39] yeah, that was great. Well, congrats to you. Thank you.
[25:49] thank you. Thank you. All right
[28:46] everyone, good morning. It is 10 o'clock on this wednesday,
[28:50] february the 25th. We begin our jefferson parish council
[28:55] meeting this morning, calling it to order, and begin
[28:59] with the invocation and the pledge. I understand our parish president has the honor
[29:04] of inviting a guest to lead us in the invocation this morning.
[29:09] thank you, madam chairwoman. I'm so pleased to welcome our jefferson parish sewerage
[29:14] department employee for the invocation this morning, kalem reynolds, for today's invocation. Kalem
[29:19] is not only our jefferson parish employee of the year, but he's also a youth pastor at greater galilee baptist
[29:25] church. Kalem has worked with the sewerage department for 12 years, and
[29:29] during that time he has gone far beyond his regular duties. He always brings a positive
[29:33] attitude and helps build a strong, supportive team environment. On top of his regular shift,
[29:38] kalem has worked with our lift stations divisions, inspecting over 250 lift stations
[29:43] across the west bank in the evenings. Kalem is a true leader and a team player,
[29:47] always willing to serve wherever he is needed and focused on passing down his knowledge to help the
[29:52] next generation succeed. I was able to shoot a video with kalem at the end of the last
[29:57] year because he was employee of the ward. I got to know him a lot better. We had a lot of fun that day,
[30:02] kalem. So it's my honor to introduce kalem reynolds to give the invocation this morning. Every head bow,
[30:11] every eye close on this morning. Dear god, we come to say thank you. Dear god, we come praying
[30:17] for peace, unity, and love, dear god. We pray right now for the agenda, and today, dear god, pray for everyone
[30:21] that's represented today, dear god, all our elected officials. Father god, go
[30:26] into our community. Bless our community with oneness and unity. As we stand, dear god, we stand
[30:30] together and we want to present peace, we want to present love, we want
[30:34] to present the future. Of the devils together. In jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Thank you
[30:43] so much, kalen. What a good leader for our parish employees. Frank cusimano, if you could
[30:48] lead us in the pledge this morning.
[31:13] all right, madam clerk, if you will, call the roll. Chairwoman van ranken.
[31:17] present. Councilman walker. Here. Councilman bonanno.
[31:23] here. Councilwoman bohannon. Here. Councilman lozaberg.
[31:27] here. Parish president ms. Lee-shang. Here. And I've
[31:32] completed the roll. And I understand the other council members will be joining us. Parish president, if you would
[31:40] like to address the council. Thank you. Another great carnival season is
[31:45] in the books for us. I'd like to thank so many of our jefferson parish departments and partners who worked hard to
[31:50] make sure we had a successful and safe season, including our
[31:55] fire services and the east bank consolidated fire department, our citizens
[31:59] affairs, general services, water, streets, engineering, sewerage, drainage,
[32:04] co-compliance and enforcement, parks and recreation, parkways, fleet management,
[32:08] environmental affairs. Affairs, building permits, emergency management, public information
[32:12] office, parish attorney's office, our jpos, security, purchasing, and, of course,
[32:17] our jefferson parish sheriff's office and ems. So thank you for that. As you can
[32:22] see by today's proclamations, the parade season isn't over just yet. The gretna
[32:27] irish italian parade will take place on sunday, march 8th, at noon. The st. Patrick's
[32:31] parade of jefferson will be on sunday, march 15th, at 11 a.m. And the louisiana irish
[32:36] italian parade will take place sunday, march 22nd, at noon. For more information on all
[32:41] of these parades, visit jeffparish.gov. Slash
[32:45] carnivalseason. J-paws will hold an adoption event on
[32:50] saturday, march 14th, from noon to 3 p.m. The event will be hosted by flying
[32:55] dollies, located at 402 williams boulevard in kenner.
[32:59] also, if you're a taylor swift and travis kelsey fan, taylor swift, the cat, and travis
[33:05] take off kelsey, the dog. Are finally saying, I do. On
[33:10] saturday, march 21st, at the east bank regional library. An invitation to that wedding will
[33:16] be posted soon, and all attendees must rsvp. Only 100 guests will be able
[33:21] to attend in person. This is an extremely exclusive event, but the wedding will be live
[33:26] streamed for those who are not able to make it. So more info to come. J pause has fun
[33:32] with their work, that's all I'll say. They're always coming up with something new. Elario
[33:36] center, this saturday and sunday, this is going back to my good times. Many, many times I've been at this event
[33:41] with my children. The elario center will host the governor's games volleyball tournament. What a great event,
[33:46] seeing the best of volleyball with our youth this day, starting at 8 a.m. Each day.
[33:52] the tournament will feature 119 teams of boys and girls ranging from 10 to 18 years old.
[33:57] competing at three sites across the city, with 10 courts at the elario center. So
[34:02] for more information on that, visit thegamepoint.org. For our library events, we'll
[34:07] have free tax preparation. Services are available with licensed agents at east
[34:12] bank regional, river ridge, wagner, tarrytown, west bank regional, and live oak
[34:17] libraries. Through the april 15th I.r.s. Deadline. On a first-come,
[34:22] first-served basis. You can visit calendar.jplibrary.net for a full listing. A community
[34:27] craft share will be held at tarrytown library on saturday, march 7th, from 1
[34:32] to 4 p.m. Patrons are encouraged to drop off gently used craft supplies
[34:36] of all varieties that are no longer of use and pick out new items for their next creative project. Early
[34:42] drop-offs may be made at both the tarrytown and east bank regional libraries from march 1st through march
[34:47] 6th, during standard library hours. The annual genealogy expo
[34:52] at the east bank regional is this saturday from 9.30 a.m. To 12.30 p.m. Geneologist
[34:57] jari anara, of the historic
[35:01] new orleans collection will discuss his groundbreaking research on the new orleans-based ancestry of
[35:06] pope leo xiv, while dr. Michelle bell-boissier will
[35:11] share her experiences with consumer genetic testing. Multiple local organizations
[35:16] focused on ancestral research will be represented at information tables. Also,
[35:21] the winter jigsaw puzzle extravaganza will be held this saturday from 9 a.m. To 4 p.m.
[35:26] at the east bank regional library, with a community puzzle swap and a puzzle sale sponsored by the friends of
[35:31] jefferson parish public library. A puzzle competition, those are always fun, starts
[35:36] at 2 p.m. With teams of two vying to complete a 500-piece puzzle
[35:41] within two hours or less. Prizes will be awarded to first, second,
[35:46] and third place teams. Machinery, this is important, we all have these. Machinery that can transfer vh tapes or
[35:51] real film 8mm or super 8 to digital formats will be set up
[35:56] for public use at the tarrytown library for home movie day this friday, 10 a.m.
[36:01] to 4 p.m. The public is invited
[36:06] to bring home movies to view in the meeting room and to leave with digital files
[36:10] that preserve treasured memories. Additional home movie days are being scheduled at other branch libraries
[36:15] throughout the year. For more information about this event. And other programming,
[36:19] visit jplibrary.net. And then I want to go over our director
[36:25] confirmations that we are asking our council to ratify.
[36:31] as you know, when our chief operating officer, steve lachute, retired, in addition
[36:36] to asking the council for two chief operating officers in shereen
[36:41] gagenheimer and mark drews, we took the time to fill some other positions and make some
[36:45] other administrative changes. So with that, we're asking for your positive vote
[36:51] on resolution numbers 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146
[36:57] on the agenda. Again, I'm requesting the council's favorable consideration
[37:02] for the appointment of these several directors. A lot of these faces are no strangers to jefferson parish. So as I
[37:07] call your name, if you could, please stand. Ray guidry, I know ray was over here. Ray
[37:11] guidry. To director of emergency management. Out of high school, ray spent four
[37:16] years with the navy and served in iraq. He then moved to the st. Charles parish sheriff's
[37:22] office and spent the last seven years with the kenner fire department, three of those inside the training division
[37:27] for jefferson parish. I actually met ray during some fema training that we were taking together last year or
[37:32] maybe two years ago, and I was so impressed with him then. I'm impressed
[37:37] with his knowledge and his drive. He's currently working on his master's degree in emergency and disaster
[37:42] management. We're excited to have a very well-rounded candidate for emergency management director
[37:47] with military, fire, and police training in addition to fema training.
[37:51] so, thank you, ray. Matthew zerang, you know, matthew, well, to the position of
[37:56] director of engineering. Matthew has been with the parish for 17 years. Is matthew standing? Okay,
[38:01] perfect. He started in the engineering department as a college intern and has been a professional engineer for 11
[38:06] years. Again, angela desoto, you know, promoted to director
[38:11] of public works. Angela spent 25 years with the corps of engineers. She's been with
[38:16] jefferson parish for 10 years and has frequently stepped up as a leader
[38:21] for public works when mark drews was unavailable. Chris frazier to director of general
[38:26] services. Chris has been with the parish for 16 years. He started as an engineer and worked his way up. His
[38:31] background is in property management. And joe waggisback, the director of safety and security. Joe
[38:36] spent 19 years in various roles with the jefferson parish sheriff's office. A strong background
[38:41] in law enforcement, serving in investigations, as a narcotics supervisor, and, most recently, as part
[38:46] of my security detail. We've also promoted ryan babcock from director
[38:50] of general services to chief administrative assistant over internal services. As well
[38:55] as don robertson, from director of fire services to chief administrative assistant over public safety. So we're
[39:00] excited about the new energy these promotions will bring to our administrative team.
[39:04] we've tapped people who have been with jefferson parish for a very long time and have deep institutional knowledge, which
[39:10] we know how critical that is as we do our daily work. Combined, these candidates, as
[39:15] well as our new chief operating officer, shereen guggenheimer and mark drews, have more than
[39:19] 200 years of experience. Just in jefferson parish. Thank you. I don't know if shireen wanted
[39:25] to say that. That's a lot. That's a lot. It seems,
[39:30] really. Shireen is 150. I will not repeat that, scott walker.
[39:35] no, let me just say, I know when you introduced the candidates to us earlier this week, they are familiar faces,
[39:39] and the beautiful thing is, jefferson parish has a culture where if people are here, grow
[39:45] over the years, learn over the years,
[39:49] there is the opportunity to really rise and lead. And, um, I'm delighted
[39:54] to see these candidates. Absolutely. Thank you. And we're very proud of that tradition. Any council
[39:59] members wish to respond to the parish president? Yes.
[40:07] just to wish all of you guys a congratulations. It takes a lot to get that kind of nod from the parish president,
[40:12] and so it means a lot. So congratulations to all of you. And I would like
[40:16] to point out we have one from kenner, so just bragging a little bit. Thank you. The
[40:23] parish president and I yesterday were at a louisiana travel association event right
[40:28] here in jefferson, parish. They had people from everywhere. I said,
[40:32] who's the furthest away? Someone from webster parish was here, someone from
[40:37] shreveport. So part of what we know we have in jefferson is amazing outdoor
[40:42] recreational assets. The hilario sports complex that's
[40:46] just come online, the pickleball courts that we have. And I want to just highlight,
[40:51] there's a little video that we're going to show because we
[40:55] have a first here at jefferson parish. Next month,
[40:59] there is going to be the first professional disc golf
[41:04] tournament in louisiana, and it will be here in jefferson parish at parc de femme. Keep
[42:06] drawing and you can get a screen record for the rest of the meeting. So as you see
[42:10] there, the big easy open is what it's called. It's happening march 13th
[42:14] through the 15th. There'll be several hundred players coming from all over the world to play here in jefferson parish. And if you want
[42:19] to start to understand what disc golf is all about, it's a great opportunity to go out there and see this
[42:23] professional-level tournament.
[42:27] and again, it really is in line with jefferson convention and visitors
[42:32] bureau. It's in to be out in jefferson, and I think that is,
[42:36] as you've said, parish president, it's our wheelhouse, it's our strength. Madam
[42:42] chairwoman, the momentum we're having in sports tourism is absolutely amazing and it's
[42:47] very exciting, so this is another huge event for us to host in jefferson parish. Thank you so much. All
[42:54] right, we're moving now to the section of our agenda where persons who wish
[42:58] to appear before the council to talk on any any resolution that's
[43:03] on the agenda this morning, you can come forward. You have three minutes. The items that
[43:09] are numbers 9 through 17, those are ordinances, and so those are going to have
[43:14] their own individual hearings. So at this point, again, anyone who wants to speak on any resolution that's
[43:19] on the agenda, come forward, and if you would, state your name and address to begin. Kim shetling,
[43:32] inspector general for jefferson parish. You have before you item number 71.
[43:38] hopefully you have all received a written request for a deferral of this item.
[43:43] the proposed resolution comes at a time of active and ongoing matters by the jpoig, specifically, an
[43:49] open audit on jfi, an evaluation of jfi's
[43:54] transaction regarding its renovation and lease of 519 huey p. Long. As well as an
[44:00] anticipated public letter relating to the rent terms for the multi-use. Presently,
[44:06] jfi has a fully constituted board. The resolution,
[44:11] under its terms, say that the effective date would be 2028,
[44:15] and what I'm asking you to do is to defer this item to allow the inspector
[44:20] general's office to complete its work, provide you these reports,
[44:25] and hopefully present you with additional context and considerations. That might
[44:29] bring light to this resolution. Thank you.
[44:43] I'm a resident of river ridge, and I'm in agreement with the ig to defer
[44:50] resolution 71. I think part
[44:56] of what we're dealing with here... Is jfi was established to build and operate parking
[45:00] garages. And like many agencies
[45:09] and so forth, I feel like there's been some mission creep here, and they've evolved into
[45:14] a leverage point where they can
[45:21] assist in picking winners.
[45:26] in the business sector of gretna and
[45:30] in the private sector, and can affect existing businesses in the construction
[45:36] of other things. As far as this
[45:42] particular resolution, I think it would be great to see a resolution passed
[45:48] to confine jpi's function to parking. And the income created, like,
[45:53] in that manner. And not to add unnecessary overhead to that particular entity,
[46:01] jfi. I believe $1.3 million
[46:05] in revenue was posted as of last june 30th. I ask that
[46:12] you defer this resolution and give some more thought to it.
[46:17] thank you. Cornelia ullman,
[46:25] district 3, camphor street, in airline park. I just have
[46:29] four quick items. Number 155, the westminster tower limited
[46:35] partnership. With the secretary of state's office, it is in good standing.
[46:40] however, every entity and every officer is in memphis, tennessee, and there's no agent
[46:45] for service. There really ought to be some tie to louisiana.
[46:50] numbers 151 and 152. Which is metairie manor owner limited
[46:54] partnership that's not filed at all with the louisiana secretary of state. Not sure if that's required, but perhaps
[47:00] the parish attorney could address that and suggest there should be an agent for service and somebody designated.
[47:07] number 101 metairie public benefit corporation. I'm sorry,
[47:12] I'm not up to date on that, I'm just not clear the purpose
[47:16] of it. In article five of your art, of the articles
[47:21] that proposed articles, there's a general catch-all language, but it would be
[47:25] helpful if there were some goals or aspirations stated in that. And part
[47:29] of my concern comes from that, from item number 71. And what can I say? I just
[47:37] support what the ig recommended. And I wanted
[47:42] to thank you all. Nobody realizes the time, the effort, the words, the hours that go
[47:47] into an agenda like this. Thank you. J.c. John harmon. I
[47:59] want to speak in support of attorney general. It was our
[48:05] honor to have her at our last louisiana republican assembly meeting, and also jennifer van
[48:10] ranken spoke at the meeting. They shed light on some
[48:15] of what's going on in the parish, and item 71 is a big concern. So I just want
[48:21] to briefly talk about the fact that. Per that
[48:28] meeting, it became obvious that we should fully support the
[48:33] deferral of and back the ig on
[48:39] recommending the deferral based on item 71. Thank you. My name
[48:51] is dennis burke, and I live in metairie. Agenda item 71
[48:55] deals with jfi. It's articles of confid... Incorporation,
[48:59] its bylaws, and some possible changes for 2028. Seems
[49:04] to me it's a bit premature to be talking about that because jfi is embroiled
[49:09] in controversy because of its gretna-brupo business. I think
[49:14] it would be a lot more prudent to wait until after that controversy is settled, and
[49:20] with the benefit and clarity of hindsight, the parish could more effectively deal with jfi
[49:24] in its future, if it has one.
[49:29] there are those that believe that jfi, had it done its business well,
[49:33] we would not even be in this controversy in the first place and believe it should be abolished.
[49:38] therefore, I recommend that agenda item 71 be deferred or
[49:42] canceled. Thank you. Good
[49:50] morning. My name is debbie theriault, and I'm a resident of old jefferson, louisiana.
[49:54] I'm also the vice president of louisiana... Republican assembly, and I also represent
[50:00] other groups that cannot be here today, such as the jefferson parish republican
[50:04] women's group, the tea party, the home defense foundation,
[50:09] and several others. With all of the controversy surrounding the
[50:14] brew pub, I think it would be most reasonable for us to defer
[50:19] the resolution as recommended by the I.g., resolution 71. I
[50:27] do know that when we have failed to follow her recommendations
[50:32] in the past, it's not always worked
[50:37] to our advantage. So I would strongly encourage you to do that, and I thank you for letting me speak. Frankie
[50:52] hires, trying to spark a little curiosity, and away I'd go. Items 38,
[51:00] 40, 42, 41, 68, 70, 81, 87,
[51:06] 90, 86, 94, 96, 115, 116. Y'all
[51:16] know who got the most money. Recuse yourselves. At-large
[51:20] members, recuse yourselves. You're senators. You shouldn't be deciding on any of this. You should be advisors
[51:25] like the house of lords. You should advise on these things, but you shouldn't vote
[51:29] on them. You can't be apportioned. Not that any of the other seats are, except
[51:34] for district five, which only serves a metering. Of course, there's special districts within there,
[51:39] and then we can get this metri, uh, public benefit corporation. I believe it was
[51:43] december 2023. Somebody did oppose the brew pub,
[51:48] and somebody's going to oppose this, just like I oppose the any other crotchet. Which ingenuity may
[51:53] invent, may invent, and the combinations that they
[51:57] may give strength to carry, I opposed that brewpub, then. I said, you know, I
[52:02] like a beer. People shouldn't have to be paying for this, especially out of money that was supposed
[52:06] to be dedicated to citizens. This was pua money, cares act money. It had
[52:10] dedicated places to go, and it wasn't in the pockets of discretionary fund accounts. That then can be turned into,
[52:14] I don't know, boosters to a lottery
[52:18] for a reinforced roof, maybe. This is just a joke. This is
[52:22] not governance. This is arbitrary and inadmissible.
[52:27] you're worried about 71. Did anybody notice that we're going to spend 50 grand
[52:31] to give jfi money to litigation, money
[52:35] to provide funding for their legal fees? We're giving jfi 50 grand
[52:42] for their legal fees. That's item, what, 112? 154 items. I
[52:48] can't get through them all. 116, cooperative endeavor
[52:52] agreements with vector media, aren't they? The one that's going to be working media against the parish
[52:57] firefighters, too. If achieved
[53:02] by any means, prescribed constitutionally, I wouldn't have to show up here at all.
[53:06] but if it's achieved by any means, not prescribed, then it becomes arbitrary and inadmissible. This is not
[53:11] governance, it's a cabal, it's not politics, it's not a political question.
[53:19] we deserve a representative of the public. Anyone else
[53:32] wishing to appear? All right.
[53:37] moving on, items 1 through 3, I have a notation. They will be
[53:42] deferred to march the 18th, so next month. Councilman
[53:47] walker, your motion? Move. Councilman walker moves
[53:53] on deferring item 1 through 3 to march 18th, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
[53:59] if you will. Vote your machines on deferring one
[54:04] through three. It's not
[54:15] working. Were you pushing
[54:20] on your screen? Okay, there's everybody. Alright, seven
[54:28] unanimous votes on deferring one through three. All right.
[54:34] madam clerk, item 4. A
[54:41] resolution selecting a person or firm for architect, landscape architect, or professional engineering and
[54:47] supplemental services for park defamille's master plan for the jefferson parish parks
[54:51] and recreation department. Councilman kerner, your
[54:57] selection. Escape, landscape, architecture, dpc. Councilman
[55:02] kerner moves on scape landscape architecture dpc,
[55:09] seconded by councilwoman van branken. We're gonna open voting. Okay, closing the vote,
[55:32] you want to verbally say, yay?
[55:37] okay, unanimous yays. Seven
[55:42] in favor. Madam clerk, item
[55:48] five. A resolution selecting a person or firm for professional engineering services and
[55:53] supplemental services for the replacement of rose thorn gym and related utility
[55:58] relocation work under fema. P.w. 5482 and may include
[56:04] design, construction, administration, and related supplemental services
[56:09] for repairs and improvements to the adjacent rose thorn playground and ball field
[56:13] project, fema p.w. 2486, council district 1.
[56:19] councilman kerner, your selection. Meyer engineers. Councilman kerner moves on
[56:24] meyer engineers, the highest scored, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
[56:29] voting is open. Everybody all
[56:37] right. Item passes unanimously.
[56:43] madam clerk, please read item six a resolution selecting a person or firm for professional
[56:48] architectural engineering and supplemental services for the
[56:52] jefferson stadium project. Council district to councilman banana your
[56:57] selection? I'm gonna move on the highest ranked firm. Mathis brea, mathis brea.
[57:01] motion by councilman bonanno, seconded by councilwoman van
[57:07] branken. We're going to open the voting on this item. I think we're missing
[57:17] five and two. You might have,
[57:21] councilman bonanno, you might have hit it early. See if it registers. There we go. All
[57:26] right, ending the vote. The item passes unanimously.
[57:32] madam clerk, item 7. A resolution selecting a person or firm to provide pre-placed
[57:36] emergency tree work, monitoring and management services for the parkways department
[57:42] during declared emergency events under r.f.p number 0505. Councilman walker, your
[57:49] selection. Thompson consulting. Councilman walker
[57:54] moves on thompson consulting, the highest ranked firm,
[57:59] seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. All
[58:10] right, closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Item
[58:18] 8 is executive session, which we expect around noon. I have a
[58:25] notation that item 9 will be deferred to march 18th.
[58:31] councilman kerner, your motion? Moves to defer. Councilman
[58:36] kerner moves to defer item 9 to march 18th, seconded by
[58:41] councilwoman van franken, opening the vote to defer. And
[58:52] the voting is open. On the item to defer to march
[58:58] 18th. Councilman? All right,
[59:04] closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Item 10,
[59:11] madam clerk. Summary number 26656, approving s.p.-38-25
[59:16] for the extension, addition, or enlargement
[59:22] of a non-conform... Conforming use and structure with variances to the rear yard
[59:26] dimensional standards and landscape regulations of the tcm.u. For ricos tires
[59:32] and wheels. Located at 2609 david drive on lot 16, square
[59:36] three, leela place, subdivision, council, district four. We can wave wave
[59:43] the reading on this item. We are opening the public hearing on summary number two, six,
[59:49] six, five, six. Anyone in favor of this item, thank you. Please come forward.
[59:57] anyone opposed? Madam clerk
[1:00:03] seeing none in favor and none opposed. Councilwoman bahannon, your
[1:00:08] motion? Move to approve. Councilwoman bahannon moves to approve the item. Seconded
[1:00:13] by councilman liljberg. Voting is open. All right,
[1:00:23] voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. I have a
[1:00:29] notation that item 11 is to be deferred to april the
[1:00:34] 8th. Councilman bonanno, your motion on deferring item 11 to april 8th. We can't act on
[1:00:40] this measure today because the planning and bidding board has not met yet. So with that,
[1:00:45] we're going to move to defer to 318. All right, so motion
[1:00:49] by councilman bonanno. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, madam chair.
[1:01:01] okay, we'll go april 8th. Yes. Okay, so absolutely. So
[1:01:05] the motion by councilman bonanno, seconded by councilwoman van branken, is to defer this item to april the
[1:01:11] 8th. Your voting is open.
[1:01:18] voting is closed. The item passes unanimously to be deferred to april the
[1:01:22] 8th. Madam clerk, item 12. Summary number 26683, approving
[1:01:28] s.p.-69-25 for a variance to the area and landscape
[1:01:33] regulations of the c-1 and cbz for the construction of a multi-retail center
[1:01:40] located at 1316 north causeway boulevard on lot 15a,
[1:01:44] square no. 94, harlem subdivision, council district
[1:01:48] 5. Thank you. We can waive the reading and we're now opening
[1:01:53] the public hearing on summary number 26683. Anyone in favor of this item,
[1:01:58] please come forward. Anyone
[1:02:03] opposed, please come forward.
[1:02:08] seeing that no one has appeared in favor or in opposition, madam clerk. Councilman
[1:02:14] logeberg, your motion. Councilman logeberg moves to approve the item. Seconded
[1:02:20] by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. Voting is
[1:02:27] closing. The item is passed unanimously. Madam clerk, item
[1:02:33] 13. Summary number 26684, amending ordinance number
[1:02:38] 14796, the pay plan for the classified service of jefferson parish
[1:02:43] to revise the class title for the classification of emergency management
[1:02:48] coordinator 3. We're now opening the public hearing on summary number 26684.
[1:02:54] anyone in favor, please come forward. Anyone
[1:03:00] opposed? Madam clerk, seeing no
[1:03:05] one in favor or in opposition of this item. Councilman
[1:03:09] walker, your motion. Move. Councilman walker moves
[1:03:13] on approving this item, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open.
[1:03:24] voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Madam
[1:03:30] clerk, item 14. Summary number 26685, amending ordinance
[1:03:36] number 27123 to correct an omission
[1:03:40] of the intended modification of fees related to the spay-neuter program. Set forth
[1:03:46] in chapter 7, article 2, division 1, section 7-31a.2
[1:03:52] of the jefferson parish code of ordinances. We're now opening the public hearing
[1:03:57] for summary number 26685. 5. Anyone in favor of this item,
[1:04:02] please come forward. Anyone opposed? Madam clerk, seeing
[1:04:08] none, moving forward to speak on opposition or approval
[1:04:13] of this item. Councilman walker, your motion? Move to approve. Councilman walker
[1:04:18] moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van vranken, opening the voting.
[1:04:30] councilman bonanno, you want to vote on the spay and neuter?
[1:04:35] all right. Closing voting, the item passes unanimously.
[1:04:40] item 15, madam clerk. Summary number 26686, amending chapter
[1:04:45] 27, water, sewage, and drainage ordinance of the jefferson powers code of
[1:04:51] ordinances in order to clarify provisions for food service establishments. We're
[1:04:57] now opening the public hearing on summary number 26686.
[1:05:02] anyone wishing to speak in favor of this item, please come forward. Anyone
[1:05:09] in opposition? Madam clerk,
[1:05:13] please note that no one has appeared either way. Councilman walker, your motion?
[1:05:19] move to approve. Councilman walker moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van
[1:05:23] branken. Opening voting. All
[1:05:33] right, closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. And
[1:05:37] thanks so much to michelle gonzalez and the administration for reaching out
[1:05:42] to the restaurant association and those who might be impacted. They had no opposition and said they
[1:05:46] appreciated the work. Item
[1:05:50] 16, madam clerk, with amendments. Summary number
[1:05:55] 26687, amending the 2026 operating budget. And the
[1:05:59] amendments are to allocate $14,000 from council district
[1:06:04] 3's video poker fund into parkway's account, 44560-4008-7454-45656-300
[1:06:16] for plaques at various locations. In the sign in front of willowdale subdivision,
[1:06:21] council, district 3. To allocate $13,495 from
[1:06:26] council district 3's west bank riverboat gaming fund to pay invoices from ipsc.
[1:06:32] for security services at jefferson parish. Covid memorial and farmers market,
[1:06:37] council district 3, to allocate $1,325 from
[1:06:42] council district 3's west bank riverboat gaming fund for services related
[1:06:47] to the ribbon cutting for the farmers market, council district 3. And that's
[1:06:51] all the amendments I have. Thank you. Councilman lee, your motion on the amendments.
[1:06:55] councilman lee motions approval on the amendments, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
[1:07:00] I'm going to open voting. This is on the amendments. Closing
[1:07:05] the vote. The amendments pass unanimously. Now opening the voting
[1:07:09] on the item as amended. We need the public hearing. So anyone
[1:07:15] who wishes to speak on this 2026 operating budget, summary number 26687, please
[1:07:21] come forward. Anyone wishing
[1:07:26] to speak in favor? Anyone wishing to speak
[1:07:30] in opposition? Madam clerk, please note that no one has appeared. We'll open the voting
[1:07:34] on the motion on the item as amended. Councilman lee moves, seconded
[1:07:41] by councilwoman van branken.
[1:07:47] all right, now everybody's in. The item passes unanimously as amended.
[1:07:53] madam clerk, item 17. Summary
[1:07:59] number 26688 amending the 2026 capital budget and the
[1:08:04] amendments are to recognize a transfer of $14,000 from council district
[1:08:10] 3's video poker into parkway's account 445604008,
[1:08:17] 745445656300. For plaques
[1:08:22] at various locations in the sign in front of willowdale subdivision,
[1:08:27] council district 3. And that's all the amendments I have. Okay, councilman lee, your
[1:08:33] motion on the amendments. I move. Councilman lee moves
[1:08:37] for approval of the amendments. I'm going
[1:08:41] to start the voting. All right, closing the voting. The amendments pass unanimously.
[1:08:46] and we're going to open the public hearing
[1:08:51] on the item as amended. So if you'd like to speak on the capital budget, please come forward. If you
[1:08:56] have remarks in favor, if you have remarks
[1:09:00] in opposition, please come forward. Madam clerk, seeing no one coming
[1:09:05] forward, we're going to open voting on the item as amended. This is
[1:09:12] the capital budget on motion of councilman lee, seconded
[1:09:17] by councilwoman van branken. All right, we're closing the voting. The
[1:09:22] item, as amended, passes unanimously. Madam
[1:09:31] clerk, item 18. Councilman
[1:09:39] logeberg. To? Yes, sir. A
[1:09:45] resolution granting permission to st. Catherine of siena, 105 bonneville boulevard,
[1:09:51] to conduct their gala. A toast to the 20s on saturday, march 21st, 2026, from 7 p.m. Until
[1:09:58] 11 p.m. This motion is coming
[1:10:02] from the floor, so it has to be unanimous. So does
[1:10:10] everyone on the council approve of moving this item from the floor,
[1:10:14] taking this item from the floor? I'm going
[1:10:21] to open the voting. All right, closing the voting. The motion can come from the floor. Now,
[1:10:25] councilman, your motion on the item. Move to approve. Councilman liljberg moves
[1:10:30] to approve this item, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. Who's going
[1:10:44] to speak out against st. Catherine? Come on. All right,
[1:10:49] the clerk, madam clerk is telling me that we do have
[1:10:53] to open. The public hearing on this resolution for st. Catherine of siena to host a gala. So if anyone
[1:10:58] wishes to speak on this item, please come forward. Madam
[1:11:03] clerk, seeing none who wish to speak in favor or against this item, councilman
[1:11:08] liljberg. Move to approve. All right. Voting is open. All
[1:11:15] right. Voting is closed. The item passes unanimously.
[1:11:19] madam clerk. A resolution appointing melissa maestri-martin, replacing
[1:11:25] marcy planner to the board of trustees of the jefferson
[1:11:31] parish finance authority as the representative of council district 5. All right,
[1:11:36] this item is coming from the floor, so it needs to be done so unanimously. All
[1:11:40] council members in favor of it coming from the floor.
[1:11:48] the item can come from the floor passing unanimously. The item now, councilman
[1:11:54] liljerberg, public hearing on, sorry, on appointing ms. Melissa mastry-martin to the
[1:11:59] finance authority. Anyone who wishes to speak on this item, please come forward. Seeing
[1:12:05] none wishing to speak on this item, councilman liljerberg. Move to approve.
[1:12:09] councilman liljerberg moves to approve. Voting is open.
[1:12:22] voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Item clerk?
[1:12:28] councilman kerner. I have one. Councilman bonanno.
[1:12:39] councilman lee. Yes, sir. A
[1:12:44] resolution granting permission to champion sports management llc at 11080 nicole
[1:12:51] boulevard, west wigo, permission to conduct a bayou national baseball tournament.
[1:12:56] on february 28, 2026 to march 15, 2026, from 8 a.m. Until 9
[1:13:01] p.m. All right, all council members, this has
[1:13:07] to be unanimous, so vote on the item coming from the floor. All right,
[1:13:16] closing the vote. The item can come from the floor. Now we'll
[1:13:21] open the public hearing on this item. Anyone wishing to come speak forward and speak
[1:13:26] in favor or against this item? Madam clerk, seeing none.
[1:13:31] councilman lee? I move. Councilman lee votes to move
[1:13:35] for approval of this item. Seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open.
[1:13:45] voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk. A resolution granting
[1:13:51] permission to heroes of new orleans to conduct a race for a cause festival on march
[1:13:57] 21st, 2026, from 10 a.m. Until 7 p.m. At nola
[1:14:01] motorsports park. At 11-075, nicole boulevard in avondale.
[1:14:08] all right, all council members wishing to allow this item to come from the floor, please vote.
[1:14:17] members have unanimously voted. Opening the public hearing
[1:14:22] on this item, anyone who wishes to speak in support or opposition of this item,
[1:14:28] please come forward. Madam clerk, seeing none, councilman lee. I move. Councilman lee moves
[1:14:32] for approval of this item, seconded by councilwoman van ranken. Closing the vote,
[1:14:37] the item passes unanimously. Councilwoman van ranken. I have
[1:14:42] none. Councilman walker. I have none. Councilwoman bohannon. I
[1:14:47] have none. And I've completed the roll. Councilman walker,
[1:14:54] your motion regarding in globo adoption of consent agenda
[1:14:58] number one items. 19 through
[1:15:03] 70 minus 57, which is to be canceled. Move. Okay, and
[1:15:14] pulling 20 for an amendment. So, in globo, adoption of items 19 through 70 minus
[1:15:19] 57, which is to be canceled, and 20, which is
[1:15:25] to be amended. Councilman walker? Move. Councilman walker moves for approval,
[1:15:30] seconded by councilwoman van vranken. We'll open voting on this item, on these items.
[1:15:37] all right, closing the voting. The consent agenda passes unanimously.
[1:15:45] so, item 20 for amendment. A resolution approving of the
[1:15:50] 2026 alcohol beverage permits. And the amendments are to add
[1:15:57] zocalo. Restaurants under permit number 1, 0, 0, 8, 6,
[1:16:04] 03, 2, 3, 7 2 and braza under permit number 1 0, 0, 8, 6,
[1:16:10] 03, 2, 3, 3. 8 to the resolution of approvals, and
[1:16:14] that's all the amendments I have. Okay, councilman liljerberg, you want to move
[1:16:18] on those amendments? Move to amend. Excellent, councilman liljerberg.
[1:16:23] seconded by councilwoman van vranken to amend item 20. This
[1:16:27] is the vote to amend on the amendments. All right,
[1:16:36] closing the vote. The amendments pass. Councilman liljeberg, your item as
[1:16:41] amended. Move to approve. Councilman liljeberg moves
[1:16:46] for approval, seconded by councilwoman van vranken on the item as amended. The
[1:16:53] voting is open. Move. Vote.
[1:17:09] oh, I thought I was moving myself. I'm moving in advance. Lady, you wish
[1:17:14] to vote on this one. All right,
[1:17:18] closing the voting. The item passes unanimously as amended.
[1:17:25] that takes us to... Item 71,
[1:17:31] and I understand councilman bonanno has asked that 71 be pulled for discussion,
[1:17:36] but wait, let me get to the consent agenda, sorry.
[1:17:46] all right, so the consent agenda item, consent agenda 2
[1:17:51] will be moving on items 71, pulling for discussion,
[1:17:57] through 149. With 72 being
[1:18:01] pulled for selection and 107 being deferred to march 18th.
[1:18:06] so again, it will be items 71 through 149, but pulling 71 for discussion, 107
[1:18:13] to be deferred, and 72, which is a selection. Your motion,
[1:18:17] councilman walker. I'll move on that again. All right.
[1:18:22] seconded by councilwoman van branken. So this is a vote on consent agenda 2. Closing
[1:18:34] the vote. Those items pass.
[1:18:40] which brings us to item 71, madam clerk. A resolution requesting jefferson
[1:18:45] facilities incorporated, jfi, to amend article 7 of its article of incorporation
[1:18:50] in its bylaws. To specify the procedure for appointing directors
[1:18:55] to the board of directors when vacancies occur beginning january 2028 and to provide
[1:19:01] for related matters.
[1:19:05] councilman bonanno. First and
[1:19:09] foremost, I want to make it very, very clear.
[1:19:14] my resolution has nothing, nothing to do with the merits of the group up, either for or against. Simply trying
[1:19:18] to establish the council's intent going forward. Jfi, all
[1:19:23] their representatives have been appointed by district 1
[1:19:27] in the past, but jfi represents the entire west bank of jefferson parish. And myself and my
[1:19:32] colleague, councilman lee, have desires going forward to use a public benefits corporation
[1:19:36] to do projects in our district. And so,
[1:19:41] with that said, this is to establish a precedent going forward. In the future. That each of us, districts 1, 2, and
[1:19:45] 03, get an appointment to jfi. So I want to be very clear
[1:19:49] about that. I received an email with a letter from the ig asking me
[1:19:54] to defer this matter, which I don't have a problem with. I want to be clear, too. None
[1:19:59] of the reasons given in the ig's letter have anything to do with waste,
[1:20:03] fraud, or abuse. These are all political matters to be decided by this council, not
[1:20:08] by the ig. That's very concerning to me. But more importantly, three meetings ago, my
[1:20:13] colleague appointed a new member to jfi. Did he get an email with a letter asking him
[1:20:17] to defer it? That's a material change to jfi. At the last meeting, my
[1:20:22] colleague, and I have great respect for him, he proposed legislation
[1:20:27] to change the area of representation. Of jfi to just district 1. Did he get a letter asking him to defer?
[1:20:32] no, he didn't. Quite interestingly, the ig shared his press release
[1:20:37] on her facebook account. She shared his press release about his legislation. She
[1:20:42] didn't share anything from me. Ladies and gentlemen, you ought to be very concerned. The
[1:20:47] hypocrisy in the ig's office is real. It's very, very real. It's
[1:20:51] about which council member proposes the legislation, and not what the legislation does.
[1:20:56] well, with that, I'm going to move for deferral, but I want to be clear. He
[1:21:01] didn't ask to be made to defer any of his matters, just I did. That ongoing
[1:21:06] investigation and audit was going on when he appointed a new member to that gfi board.
[1:21:12] the investigation was ongoing at the last meeting when he proposed legislation to change
[1:21:16] the representation area of gfi. He wasn't asked
[1:21:20] to defer that. With that, council chair, I'm going
[1:21:24] to move for deferral. All
[1:21:29] right, anyone else wishing to speak on this item that's pulled for discussion? I do.
[1:21:34] councilman? I got a few e-mails as well, and I just want
[1:21:39] to let you guys know, I've spoken with some of your members. The e-mails
[1:21:44] that we got were largely, like they had a lot of misstatements in there.
[1:21:48] whoever's advising you gave you all some really bad information. There were things that were just flat wrong. I
[1:21:53] have no problem also deferring it. You know, I'm aware, of course, you know,
[1:22:01] I have friends in your group and, you know, you can count me
[1:22:05] in your number. I have spoken with several people in your group. They told me that a lot of what was told
[1:22:10] to you all was just wrong, was like kind of made up
[1:22:15] from whole cloth. Another thing, I met with one of your members and basically we hashed
[1:22:20] the whole thing out. And the end result is, he said, I don't like public benefit
[1:22:26] corporations. I don't like... Public money going into private entities. And I get that. Like, I understand it
[1:22:31] perfectly. But, I mean, we just did one on the west
[1:22:36] bank. We just did the ballpark over there. It's going to be great. It's going
[1:22:40] to be great for the parish. I mean, we have public benefit corporations all over. Somebody spoke earlier
[1:22:44] about the public benefit corporation that I'm creating.
[1:22:49] your concerns are well-founded. I mean, some people just simply don't like public benefit
[1:22:53] corporations. And I get it, and I respect that view. You know, the... You asked the
[1:22:57] reason for metri? The reason is we're going to try
[1:23:02] to make a tennis mecca in district 5. Just kind of make it a hub. Right now,
[1:23:06] if you want to play your state championship tennis match, you have to go to mobile. We're going to try
[1:23:11] to do a usta facility right here in metairie. You might not
[1:23:18] like that because it's a public benefit corporation. There's going to be a private tennis
[1:23:23] association that's supported with public money. I think it's been great for the district. I
[1:23:28] think it's going to be great for the parish. So, you know, I don't have a problem
[1:23:32] with this, but again, I just, I want to make myself available
[1:23:37] to any of you all if you'd like to know the facts. You know,
[1:23:41] I would strongly encourage you to talk to, and not me, but talk to people from port orleans. Talk to people, you
[1:23:47] know, I went on a tour of that building. It's pretty amazing, and the public benefit to
[1:23:51] jefferson parish of what they're doing over there is really... Like, I
[1:23:56] was awestruck. I was amazed. So I would encourage you to talk to those folks.
[1:24:01] they'll make themselves available to you. And then make your decision. That's all I have to say. I likewise have
[1:24:11] created two public benefit corporations since I've been here. And I
[1:24:15] just want the public to understand, when we say that it's a corporation and a
[1:24:20] government mixing with a corporation,
[1:24:25] the corporation is owned by and benefited to the government. So this is a
[1:24:31] private business in theory, in that it's created that way through the secretary of state
[1:24:35] as a corporation. But the corporation is owned, managed,
[1:24:40] and the business is conducted by the government, by people
[1:24:45] who represent the government. And so, you know, my public benefit corporation,
[1:24:49] the only way that this funds, everybody's volunteer, no one gets paid,
[1:24:53] the entire board. And whatever incomes that they derive from rentals that we have at
[1:24:57] lafayette park, it's mandated that they stay within the park. So they can
[1:25:02] only spend money to do projects in the park. And what it does is it gives government flexibility. So that
[1:25:07] when we are doing a project in the park, we don't have to go through regular bid processes.
[1:25:11] we don't have to go through now. They do have to do some public bids. I mean, they can't just go willy-nilly
[1:25:16] picking vendors. But if they decide to plant a garden somewhere, we don't have
[1:25:21] to get council approval for them to do that. They have authority within the corporation
[1:25:26] to do that. So it's a corporation, but I want to be clear, it's not a corporation that's some private
[1:25:31] business owner. This is a corporation that is a government corporation. So they are carved out by the law, and they are special
[1:25:35] corporations, and they're designed to do just what jfi's kind of done,
[1:25:40] grow and change an area. And if you look at what's happened over the course of the last 20 years in gretna, I want
[1:25:44] to steal half of what they've done and make it my downtown kenner, because I love the growth and development that
[1:25:49] they've done. Now, do we love every project? Maybe, maybe not. But that public benefit corporation put out to bid,
[1:25:55] looking for a vendor, and there was only one person who
[1:26:00] responded, and it happened to be a brew pub. And so we don't just, you know,
[1:26:05] not go forward because we want to hold out for a different type of business. Instead, the
[1:26:10] councilman at the time chose to go forward. And this council unanimously, seven times,
[1:26:14] supported that decision. Just way before councilman luschenberg or I got here.
[1:26:20] so, you know, whatever happens with jfi, but I just want to make sure that everyone
[1:26:24] understands that a public benefit corporation is not the enemy. And our ig, for whatever reason,
[1:26:30] hates them. And that's fine. That's her, right. Where I'm
[1:26:35] worried is, like, what? Councilman bonanno said, we
[1:26:39] should not be politicizing that office. She has a very limited
[1:26:43] scope and purpose. It's to look for fraud, waste, and abuse. And weighing in on
[1:26:49] your policy opinions and your political opinions, we should
[1:26:55] never, most people should not know the ig's name. This person should be working to look
[1:27:01] for fraud, waste, and abuse. They shouldn't be
[1:27:06] on television. They shouldn't be sharing certain council people's facebook posts and
[1:27:10] cheering them on, like, rah, that's embarrassing. And I thought that we had changed the
[1:27:15] legislation regarding the ig so that we wouldn't have to face those kinds of things anymore. And here we
[1:27:20] are again having a conversation about our ig, deciding to take a political posture. It's inappropriate. It's
[1:27:28] inappropriate. And to be quite frank, it's a little exhausting to have the same conversation
[1:27:32] about that over and over again. Councilman kerner. I agree. It has been
[1:27:37] exhausting. I'm ready to bring this to some conclusion based
[1:27:41] on talking with all of you. But I do want to,
[1:27:46] I respect my colleagues. I mean, me and aretha had great conversations about this.
[1:27:50] she's one of the hardest working people I've ever seen on a council. So I want to start by saying, you know,
[1:27:55] byron and dino both worked, you know, worked with us so well.
[1:28:00] to really find a path forward, even in this deferment. You know, we've discussed it, we
[1:28:04] all worked as a unit and that's how the council is supposed to work. You know, not all the
[1:28:09] times are we gonna agree. We shouldn't. That's not how democracy should work,
[1:28:14] it's not how a republic should work, but it's when we could come in, when we disagree and find some
[1:28:18] common consensus. But I do have some points I just want to clarify. You know,
[1:28:23] it is beautiful. It's a beautiful building. You, the
[1:28:29] taxpayers, built something beautiful.
[1:28:34] but you're going to have to go purchase alcohol or tacos to go experience it. So I
[1:28:39] don't, you know, I just want to really nail that on that fact that, yeah,
[1:28:44] it is beautiful. What do we expect a $10.3 million building to be? It's going
[1:28:50] to be beautiful. So that is not a compelling argument that,
[1:28:54] it was the right choice. But look, I don't want to get
[1:28:58] into weeds. And another comment was made that this thing was
[1:29:02] advertised only one company. When they sent out the advertisement, the rfq, whatever it was,
[1:29:07] they actually had paul lien's logo on it. So I have grave concerns about how this process
[1:29:13] was went forward with. And
[1:29:17] to make it, you know, to solidify my concerns and make them, you know, even worse is
[1:29:23] that the public was told there was a match. It was a match.
[1:29:27] it was a match. They made videos about it. October 2023, we found
[1:29:31] out it wasn't a match. And still, that narrative kept being pushed. So I have very
[1:29:37] big concerns about it. And just to clarify my position on the changes I made at jfi,
[1:29:43] I didn't change the framework
[1:29:48] of jfi. It's been since 2001, I
[1:29:53] believe, 25 years. It's been, it's been. District 1 has
[1:29:58] chosen the members. This is not something new. And again, we had an expired term,
[1:30:03] two expired terms. We replaced them. And the reason why I did that is for a few reasons. And
[1:30:10] I'll end with the brew pub, but when this thing was created, it was sold. You can go back
[1:30:16] to old means. It was sold in old newspaper clip-ins. The pork and garage was sold. That,
[1:30:22] you know, we're going to take out bonds, but it was going to collect enough. To pay
[1:30:26] for the bonds. Well, I think we were around $11 to $12 million
[1:30:30] of taxpayers that had to fund for the garage, and by the time it's finished,
[1:30:34] it'll be between $16 to $18 million. So that was the first project. The second project was
[1:30:40] the shared office space. Well, we received the tax
[1:30:44] credit where the parish put up the construction and it was going to get reimbursed. A part
[1:30:49] of this, if you go back to jetco's releases, the newspaper releases. We're
[1:30:54] gonna get a tax credit back for the construction dollars we put up. Jfi got that tax credit
[1:30:59] back and kept it. Something that should have went back to the taxpayers to be used
[1:31:03] to help benefit the people. So that was another red flag.
[1:31:10] in addition to that, with the shared office space, since it's been started, beautiful project.
[1:31:15] but if we're talking about transparency and honesty and getting things right,
[1:31:20] stopping a bleed, the truth of the matter is. Every single month, on average, this shared
[1:31:26] office space is costing the taxpayers in district 1. Because we're funding it
[1:31:31] $15,000 to $25,000 every single month. But it's been promoted
[1:31:38] as a fantastic project, which it is, if handled right. But the public's been left
[1:31:42] in the dark in that. So we need it, especially when district 1
[1:31:46] is paying for these funds. We need to have people
[1:31:51] in place that is willing to work with district 1. I had to put up $150,000
[1:31:57] to keep this thing going. But we needed people in place. That's going to have to make the tough decisions,
[1:32:02] that will have to be transparent, that are willing to be transparent, good, honest people. That are going to go out there and let people
[1:32:07] know that and try to solve these issues. You know, there's no way we should be promoting a project as
[1:32:12] something so great when we're
[1:32:16] losing 15 to 25,000 a month on average. That is insanity.
[1:32:21] now, that was their second project. Their third project was the brewpub. It is
[1:32:27] beautiful, $10.3 million building, of course, it's beautiful. I didn't
[1:32:33] like how the process happened. And to ig's defense, I mean, I've researched this thing
[1:32:38] harder than anyone. I didn't touch this for five to six months because I wasn't sure
[1:32:42] what to do. I wanted to be absolutely certain that my concerns were justified. You
[1:32:47] know, I did not want this thing politicized. And the more I
[1:32:51] look at it, I mean, if you look, the more I look
[1:32:57] at the... Different legal issues about this lease and I think it will be decided, not a breach of contract,
[1:33:01] but we'll be deciding in court, but it's, uh, it's concerning. You know whether the parish is going
[1:33:07] to get, we can't give donations and the amount we're going
[1:33:13] to take in. If you take the shared office space as a model, we're paying for the insurance
[1:33:17] and maintenance. This is a ten point, three million dollar
[1:33:21] building, we're gonna have to cover the insurance, covering the maintenance, even
[1:33:26] for the brewpub equipment. If you take the shared office space model at this level,
[1:33:30] and you don't ask yourself, are we going to lose money? Then you're not doing your due
[1:33:35] diligence. And if that, really, if that is the case, then this thing is illegal on its face. And that's
[1:33:40] questions that deserve to be asked. And it's, it's,
[1:33:46] in my opinion, it's something that the ig, it's her job to be asking. And
[1:33:52] she stepped in because there was a thought that maybe the, the ball was being stacked, but
[1:33:57] I don't believe that now. I've had many conversations with dino and byron, who just want to do good for their people.
[1:34:02] and we worked it out, and you could see, by the new legislation he passed, it was in good faith, which I have so
[1:34:09] much respect for. But these questions deserve
[1:34:14] to be looked at. The public is asking us to look at them. And as district 1 councilman, I am
[1:34:19] going to look at them. But, you know, really. I think if they
[1:34:27] would have listened, if everyone would have listened
[1:34:31] to you, and granted, they didn't have all the information because they didn't know that
[1:34:35] it wasn't a parking garage. Even, look, when I got in this office,
[1:34:40] when I knew we were getting a match, I didn't like the project. I came from a community. I was devastated. I
[1:34:44] saw $10 million of disaster funds. We lost all our businesses. Go
[1:34:48] to this beer pub. It broke my heart. I mean, it genuinely broke my heart. People say, oh, you know.
[1:34:54] jennifer helped you get elected, was there
[1:34:58] for the election. But at the end of the day, what people don't realize is, as soon as I saw this pass,
[1:35:03] I was hurt by it because my people were suffering. So, you know, this broke my heart
[1:35:08] from the beginning. But when I got in office,
[1:35:13] I thought to myself, is it worth looking into? And potentially having some
[1:35:17] lawsuits? If we're getting a parking garage, if the people
[1:35:22] are getting something? I said, okay, I'll do my fiduciary duty
[1:35:26] and I'll go forward. I'll find ways to save money. We saved that money. We found things
[1:35:30] that was overcharged. We found other ways to get discounts. But then we found
[1:35:37] out their third project, the brew pub, lost the match. And the public was not told about it. So I have very big
[1:35:43] concerns. Now, granted, I do, I think. This legislation and
[1:35:51] this deferment, I think, is a testimony
[1:35:57] of colleagues disagreeing, but coming together. To make decisions,
[1:36:03] and that is how it's supposed to work. So instead of getting into the weeds with this,
[1:36:07] like again, I want this to be concluded as well. But I think at this moment,
[1:36:12] I just wanna finish off by thanking councilman bonanno and thanking councilman lee
[1:36:17] for working with me, working
[1:36:21] with district one. And really choosing, in my opinion, to do what's best
[1:36:27] for the people. And so thank y'all, that's all. Anyone else on the council? Yes, and I'd
[1:36:35] like to add, just if you'd allow, as a councilwoman,
[1:36:41] I do want to thank councilman bonanno, councilman lee, and councilman kerner. I spoke
[1:36:45] to each by phone yesterday to ask about the deferral,
[1:36:49] and I do think it's important. What I will say, and I hate to hear, some of the old
[1:36:54] discussion coming up. I thought we were past a lot of that. My perspective is the people
[1:37:01] of our parish have continued to support an inspector general.
[1:37:05] the people of our parish have put us here. And I think working together
[1:37:11] and not being adversaries is what they expect. So the most concerning thing to me is being
[1:37:18] poised as somehow adversarial. When we should be working
[1:37:23] together, as we have on the idea of this deferral. I think sometimes if you're
[1:37:28] in an adversarial mindset, and this is true of me too, if you're in an adversarial
[1:37:33] mindset and you're thinking about something one way, it
[1:37:38] may cloud how you're reading something. And I say that
[1:37:42] because when the inspector general sent us a communication on monday, she attached facts
[1:37:49] that to me, don't make it political, respectfully,
[1:37:53] but it's very fact-based. And so, for example, in...
[1:37:57] in the discussion up here, everybody is talking about public benefit corporations.
[1:38:02] councilman liljerberg is creating a public benefit corporation. Councilwoman
[1:38:07] rita bahannon has. Councilman bonanno, you have. Jfi is not
[1:38:12] actually a political, a public
[1:38:17] benefit corporation. Jri is a public benefit corporation. Jfi is an economic development corporation. The two are not
[1:38:22] the same. And that is... Part of what the ig communicated
[1:38:27] in her letter. So if we're all thinking in the mindset of a public benefit corporation,
[1:38:32] that's jri. Jfi is a completely
[1:38:36] different discussion because it is a different entity. They are not interchangeable. They're
[1:38:41] not the same. The other thing that the ig expressed
[1:38:45] in her letter to all of us is that there are ongoing bonded
[1:38:50] indebtedness issues. There are now new concerns
[1:38:55] about tax liability, which I have never heard of before. And so that's a new
[1:39:01] element. And so when she says there are concerns about potential commingling
[1:39:05] of funds in the future, if two and three are part of jfi, and those monies get
[1:39:10] mixed, and there's bonded indebtedness, and there's tax liability, how are we going
[1:39:16] to unravel that? She said, I will have a report by march
[1:39:23] for all of you on this. And so the deferral was not based
[1:39:28] on politics. The deferral is saying, I have new information that you probably need to consider
[1:39:33] before mixing the monies of districts one, two, and three. I think that's fact-based. And so I appreciate
[1:39:38] the heads up because though we have often ignored the advice
[1:39:43] of the ig, I don't think that has served us well. If there are tax liability issues that
[1:39:49] we need to consider, then I think I'd rather vote on expense. Expanding jfi
[1:39:54] to have appointees from all the west bank council districts
[1:39:58] with an understanding of what that tax liability might be. And so I appreciate the heads
[1:40:03] up, and I do appreciate the willingness to defer it until after. We have that
[1:40:07] report and the benefit of considering how this might impact our future. And
[1:40:12] chairman, if I can have one more second. And what I wanted to mention,
[1:40:17] which I failed to mention, that, you know, these benefit corporations.
[1:40:24] jfi, jri, they were meant, you know, the way the statute is written, they're meant
[1:40:32] to help distressed corridors. So I agree with ms. Bohannon,
[1:40:37] councilwoman, bohannon. You know, gretna has done a fantastic job, and gretna. But jfi, I named the three
[1:40:43] projects actually jfi was a part of. And the intent and the legislation specifically says
[1:40:48] distressed corridors. So I've had conversations about what
[1:40:54] councilman lee and what he wants to do in his, what he wants
[1:40:59] to do is what it was meant for, building a $10.3 million.
[1:41:05] for a private entity and on udp, long is not what this
[1:41:10] was meant for. It goes totally against its purpose. I just want to make that point.
[1:41:17] inspector general. Go ahead.
[1:41:23] thank you for considering the request for deferral. Thank you if I
[1:41:29] appreciate. The discussions for your ability to disagree
[1:41:35] with each other and still arrive at an agreement
[1:41:40] to defer. Whether I have ever
[1:41:47] agreed or disagreed with any one of you, and I have agreed and
[1:41:52] disagreed, I think, with all of you,
[1:41:57] I have never dismissed. Your
[1:42:01] thought, your vote, your opinion, your words, or your
[1:42:08] initiatives as being merely political. Whatever position
[1:42:16] you've taken, including a position
[1:42:21] against me, I have taken it with the assumption that it is
[1:42:27] principled. And the reason I take it as principled is
[1:42:32] because, in all honesty, your personalities matter, not
[1:42:38] to me. What matters to me is
[1:42:43] the sum and the substance and the facts. Which we can focus
[1:42:48] on. For no other reason other than that,
[1:42:53] is where solutions are found. Not in disagreement, not
[1:42:58] in innuendo. Not in public debasement
[1:43:02] of individuals, but substance. I asked
[1:43:07] for a deferral for principled reasons. It was not political. I gave my
[1:43:14] morning to write a three-page letter. I don't hate public
[1:43:21] benefit corporations. I actually have no real opinion
[1:43:26] about public benefit corporations. Academically,
[1:43:30] in its concept. But I do have a belief
[1:43:35] in the specificity of our words
[1:43:40] because the public is listening and they count on us
[1:43:45] to be specific and accurate. And jfi isn't a public benefit
[1:43:51] corporation, it's an economic development corporation. And
[1:43:55] I'm not prepared to get into what is the difference
[1:44:00] between one or the other as it relates to any specific project?
[1:44:05] because I don't think about it until I start looking at it in context. And that's the ask.
[1:44:11] it was just to defer so you could have more information.
[1:44:16] we are the only department in this parish that is directly
[1:44:23] funded by the people to serve no other purpose than
[1:44:33] to study government for government's benefit. Full-time, funded
[1:44:38] by the public, to study government for government's betterment.
[1:44:44] whether it's studying it through audits, investigations, evaluations, review,
[1:44:50] I am doing the job for the government's benefit.
[1:44:55] and I do not believe that the public confidence
[1:45:01] in the integrity of government is at all. Well
[1:45:05] served by a willingness to dismiss our work as merely
[1:45:11] political. And to dismiss what I thought
[1:45:16] to be well-reasoned basis
[1:45:21] for deferring this. It was three pages. Three pages. I
[1:45:27] thought it was well written. It wasn't political and it
[1:45:31] wasn't just about this moment in jfi. I had in my mind all
[1:45:37] of you, all of you. Can we pause, think,
[1:45:42] and plan? I respect you for
[1:45:47] your position. I will never dismiss your thoughts as merely
[1:45:53] political. And I don't think it's a big ask for you to give
[1:45:58] me the respect that I give you. Whether or not I'm elected,
[1:46:04] you would think I am trying to get the job done. Could we
[1:46:09] not arrive in a place where you just say,
[1:46:13] I don't agree with you? And that sort of says enough, and we don't need to go
[1:46:17] into political attacks. I'd like to respond, please. You
[1:46:23] know, the difference is that people get to know me, and then they vote on me. Same
[1:46:29] thing with everyone up here. People didn't vote on you. They're voting and electing
[1:46:33] people that they find principled or that have shared ideals and values. They didn't
[1:46:38] pick you. And your job is not to make principled opinions.
[1:46:43] your job is to find fraud, waste, and abuse. And it was
[1:46:51] not your letter, the contents, necessarily, that seemed political. It was
[1:46:56] the timing and the fact that twice, two meetings before, no letter. And this is an
[1:47:03] ongoing, repeated situation. It depends on the council person and who proposes it,
[1:47:08] whether or not you have a principled opinion. That's the problem. And the timeliness of
[1:47:14] your letter makes it political. And the fact that you put it out in public, you could have
[1:47:19] easily just called. You could have easily just called one of them. Would you mind
[1:47:24] deferring? I have some questions. I think maybe you should look at this different. And the
[1:47:29] premise of it to not that you don't know the difference between a public benefit corporation and a an economic development corporation. It's
[1:47:35] very simple. One's a potato, one's a potato. They're
[1:47:41] basically the same thing. So they have the same purpose.
[1:47:47] there's no one benefiting, no private entities benefiting from those corporations.
[1:47:52] there's no one individual. It is our community that benefits.
[1:47:57] so we're going to agree to your deferral. Which we would have easily done if you'd
[1:48:01] have just reached out without the three-page letter. That was well written,
[1:48:07] but the timeliness of it and the fact that you only choose to send them for certain
[1:48:11] council people is the political part. I try to be delicate in
[1:48:23] my role as chairwoman. I am also a member of the council, though, and so respectfully I
[1:48:28] will say the matter two
[1:48:33] meetings ago, when councilman kerner moved. To replace one
[1:48:38] of the holdover members with a newly appointed member is
[1:48:43] standard procedure. Changing the form of something that has existed
[1:48:48] for two decades is not standard procedure. And I think that's the difference as
[1:48:53] to why the inspector general. Didn't reach out on one, that's normal procedure,
[1:48:58] and did reach out on this one. So that's my perspective. That is my
[1:49:03] personal perspective. And again, the inspector general
[1:49:08] answers not to us, but an ethics and compliance commission. That ethics and
[1:49:14] compliance commission considered allegations of political motivations a year
[1:49:19] and a half ago, had an outside inspection. Inspector or an outside entity
[1:49:24] lawyer look into those allegations and say that the
[1:49:29] office performed as it should. And then the ethics and
[1:49:34] compliance commission, a meeting or two later,
[1:49:39] reappointed our inspector general to another four-year term
[1:49:43] in advance. So I thought we had
[1:49:47] gotten past the allegations that somehow anything the office is doing is political
[1:49:53] and not substantial.
[1:50:00] councilman bonanno, I appreciate your moving to defer the item. I would request that
[1:50:05] we defer it until after we receive the inspector general's report so that we can consider
[1:50:10] what's in it. And then move on your item. And so what are
[1:50:17] you asking? What they to the april meeting? Her letter indicated she'd give us a
[1:50:21] report in march. So I will 8
[1:50:26] listen out of the spirit of cooperation, I will do so, thank you. So, councilman
[1:50:30] bonanno moves to defer item 71 to the april 8th meeting so
[1:50:36] that we consider additional information and seconded by councilwoman van branken. I'm
[1:50:42] gonna open voting on this deferral. Voting is
[1:50:49] open on the deferral. To april 8th. All right,
[1:50:57] closing the voting. The deferral passes unanimously.
[1:51:06] madam clerk. A resolution selecting an engineering firm
[1:51:10] from the list of the approved firms established under resolution number 144663
[1:51:16] adopted on august 7, 2024 for routine engineering services.
[1:51:22] which costs under $500,000 for drainage projects to provide professional
[1:51:27] engineering services associated with conceptual level design, planning, and project
[1:51:32] implementation development for multiple drainage pump stations in the city of kenner area.
[1:51:37] council district 3. Councilman lee, your selection. Msmm. Councilman lee moves
[1:51:45] on msmm, seconded by councilwoman van vranken. I'm going to open the voting.
[1:51:49] councilman lee. Lee, your move on the item. Councilman lee
[1:51:55] moves on the item to select msmm, seconded by councilwoman van ranken.
[1:52:01] voting is open. Voting is closed. The item passes
[1:52:07] unanimously. That takes us to the addendum agenda items,
[1:52:13] item 150. Councilman walker, your motion regarding the
[1:52:18] inglobo. Adoption of addendum agenda items 1 through 13.
[1:52:23] move. Councilman walker moves for approval of items 1 through 13. Can we pull
[1:52:27] out 150? I mean, I'm sorry, 12. 12. Okay, so councilman
[1:52:33] walker moves on adoption of items 1 through 13,
[1:52:37] but pulling item 12. Councilman walker? Move.
[1:52:42] okay, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Moving to adopt 1 through 13.
[1:52:47] minus 12. Councilman bonanno
[1:53:03] and bohatyn. I don't know if your vote logged. Sometimes it doesn't cooperate. There we go.
[1:53:09] end of voting. That passes unanimously. Item 12. Madam
[1:53:20] clerk, addendum item 12. A
[1:53:27] resolution supporting and encouraging local efforts to redesignate the jean
[1:53:32] lafitte national historic park and preserve as the jean lafitte national park and
[1:53:37] preserve, which would elevate the park's status to a national park.
[1:53:44] councilman kern? So long. I wanted to pull this
[1:53:49] out because this is, in my opinion, one of the best things going on,
[1:53:53] really, in the region. And it's a lot of people hard at work in doing this. You know, a lot
[1:53:58] of people visit this area, this region, because of new orleans. And I truly believe
[1:54:05] making jean lafitte national park, a national historic park, into an actual national
[1:54:10] park would be a game changer. And would bring a total new level of awe. Tourism
[1:54:17] to this area. Now, you know, it's crazy when you think
[1:54:22] about it. Louisiana has the most diverse ecosystem in the country. Some of the
[1:54:28] most beautiful wetlands and most beautiful wildlife, and we do not have an actual national
[1:54:32] park. The closest one to the west of us is big ben in texas. Closest one
[1:54:38] to the east is the everglades. So, you know,
[1:54:43] a group of us all feel, and we... We've been pushing for this for quite a while, but
[1:54:48] we have such good support now. That louisiana adds to the value of the national
[1:54:53] pork system if it becomes the 64th national pork. And new mexico just did it with the same acreage,
[1:54:59] the same kind of qualifications that needs to be met that we also meet. So it's got so much progress
[1:55:04] going forward. But I just wanted to thank a few people behind this because I really think it
[1:55:09] will be a game changer. I want people traveling here, getting coins and putting it on
[1:55:13] their... I visited all national parks. But g&o inc. Has really kicked into gear to try
[1:55:19] to push for this and try to help, and they've been doing so. Jetco, blonia, and annalisa,
[1:55:25] wright & associates, and representative. Kerner, who
[1:55:31] year after year, really for the last 20 years,
[1:55:37] has fought to add national park land and make this bigger to make it a true national
[1:55:42] park. But again. This is such a wonderful thing and we have so much support now. We've had
[1:55:46] meetings with the interior. I think the associates and jetco and geno inc. Has met with the
[1:55:52] congressmen and it seems like everybody's on board. Everyone's believing louisiana
[1:55:57] is worthy of this and it being here in
[1:56:02] jefferson parish, what a beautiful thing that would be. So I just want
[1:56:06] to take a moment to thank all those people because this is truly a game changer. And if we're all coming together and
[1:56:11] work together to have the first national park in the state of louisiana right here in jefferson parish, what
[1:56:15] a beautiful thing that would be. With that being said, I have a move for it
[1:56:19] to be approved. Yeah. Councilman kerner moves for approval on item 12, redesignating jean lafitte
[1:56:25] to a national park, seconded by councilwoman van vranken, opening the voting
[1:56:29] on this item. Closing the
[1:56:35] voting. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, item
[1:56:43] 151. A resolution approving a
[1:56:47] payment and laurel tax incentive agreement between jefferson parish economic
[1:56:51] development and port district and metairie manor. 3. Owner l.p. Relating
[1:56:56] to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 82 unit affordable senior housing
[1:57:01] development located at 4929 york street in metairie,
[1:57:07] louisiana, 70001. Thank you.
[1:57:12] councilman ludgerberg, your motion. Councilman
[1:57:18] liljerberg's move for approval of item 151, seconded by councilwoman van branken. I'm going to open voting. Closing
[1:57:24] the voting, the item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, 152. A resolution
[1:57:30] approving a payment and law of tax incentive agreement between the jefferson parish
[1:57:35] economic development and port district. Metairie manor owner lp relating
[1:57:41] to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 369 unit
[1:57:45] affordable senior housing development located at 4929
[1:57:51] york street and 4937 york street in metairie, louisiana.
[1:57:55] 70001. Councilman liljerberg your motion moved to approve.
[1:58:00] councilman liljerberg moves to approve 152, seconded by councilwoman van branken,
[1:58:05] opening voting all right,
[1:58:23] closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, 153. A resolution
[1:58:29] approving an increase to the contract consideration payable to grand isle. Volunteer emergency services incorporated
[1:58:35] from $35,700 per month to $60,000 per month,
[1:58:40] in accordance with the cooperative endeavor agreement between ambulance service
[1:58:45] district no. 2 of the paris of jefferson, state of louisiana and the state of
[1:58:49] louisiana. And grand isle volunteer emergency services incorporated. Councilman kerner? Move to approve.
[1:58:54] councilman kerner moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman vanvranken.
[1:58:58] opening voting? Closing the
[1:59:04] voting? 153 passes, unanimously. Madam clerk, 154.
[1:59:10] a resolution approving an increase to the contract consideration payable to grand isle volunteer fire
[1:59:16] company no. 1 from $72,500 per month to $77,500 per month, in accordance with the fire
[1:59:20] protection agreement between fire protection district no. 9
[1:59:27] of the parish of jefferson, state of louisiana, and grand
[1:59:32] isle volunteer fire company no. 1, dated march 13, 2018. Councilman kerner? Move
[1:59:38] to approve. Councilman kerner moves for approval, seconded by councilwoman van vranken.
[1:59:42] opening the vote. Yeah, okay,
[1:59:53] closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, item 155. And I'm going
[1:59:59] to have an amendment on this one also. Okay. A resolution approving a payment
[2:00:03] and lower of tax incentive agreement between the jefferson parish
[2:00:07] economic development and port district and westminster tower lp. Relating
[2:00:12] to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 350-unit
[2:00:16] affordable senior housing apartment complex located at 4600 10th street in marrero,
[2:00:22] louisiana, 70072. And the amendment is to change
[2:00:27] westminster tower lp to weinhoven owner lp. And that's
[2:00:31] all the amendments I have. Okay, thank you. Councilman bonanno, your motion
[2:00:37] on the amendments. Wait, let me make sure your mic's on. Okay. Move to approve.
[2:00:41] councilman bonanno moves to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van vranken. Opening the voting
[2:00:46] on the amendments. Closing the
[2:00:51] vote. The amendments passed unanimously. Councilman
[2:00:55] bonanno, your motion as amended. Move to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van
[2:01:00] vranken. Opening the voting. This is on the item as amended.
[2:01:11] a few out. All right,
[2:01:20] closing the voting. The item passes unanimously as amended.
[2:01:25] madam clerk, item 156. A resolution adopting and approving the housing
[2:01:30] services development district 2025 section 8 management
[2:01:34] assessment program certification. Councilman lee, your motion. Councilman
[2:01:40] lee moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van branken, opening the voting. This is
[2:01:45] on item 156. All right,
[2:01:55] closing the voting. 156 passes, unanimously. There is no new
[2:01:59] business, no status reports. Madam clerk, would you like
[2:02:04] to go back to the executive session, or should we? We have time, I think. Now
[2:02:09] to have persons wishing to appear. So anyone who wishes to speak, not
[2:02:14] on agenda items, but on anything that you wish
[2:02:18] to speak before the council, please come forward. This is
[2:02:25] on any subject matter. All right. If nobody has anything
[2:02:30] you would like to say or share, we'll move to ordinances
[2:02:34] for introduction and publication into summary.
[2:02:40] executive session before that. Okay, so we're going to go into executive session now a little bit early
[2:02:45] and hopefully we will be right back. Madam clark, if you can
[2:02:51] read that executive session item, one item. A resolution authorizing the council to go
[2:02:56] into executive session to discuss legal matters concerning a lawsuit entitled parish langford versus parish
[2:03:01] of jefferson, jefferson parish parkways department trooper nicholas dowdool.
[2:03:06] state of louisiana through louisiana department of public safety and
[2:03:11] corrections. Louisiana state police, 24th jdc. Case number 834-961-division o. All right.
[2:03:19] thank you, councilman walker. Your motion? Move. Councilman
[2:03:23] walker moves, seconded by councilwoman van branken, to go into executive session. If you all can vote on moving
[2:03:28] into executive session. All
[2:03:41] right, we'll close out the voting to move into executive session. The
[2:03:49] motion passes five yeas and two not participating. All right,
[2:03:55] we're in executive session.
[2:04:04] all right, welcome back from executive session. All
[2:04:16] right, I've been asked to hit the gavel. Y'all are having fun out here. I don't know what's
[2:04:20] going on. All right, we're back
[2:04:25] from executive session, which is item eight on the agenda. Madam clerk. A
[2:04:31] resolution authorizing a settlement in a lawsuit entitled parish langford versus parish of
[2:04:36] jefferson, jefferson, parish parkways department trooper nicholas. Dowdwell, state of louisiana, through louisiana
[2:04:43] department of public safety and corrections, louisiana state police, 24th jdc, case number
[2:04:49] 834961, division 0. All right,
[2:04:54] councilman bonanno, what's your motion on this item? Move
[2:04:59] to approve. Councilman bonanno moves to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van branken. Open the voting
[2:05:05] on the executive session item.
[2:05:12] all right, ending the voting, we have one absent and six in support,
[2:05:18] so the item passes. Madam clerk, I believe that puts us
[2:05:23] in reading things into summary. Yes, ma'am. An
[2:05:29] ordinance approving the preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lots e and f, square one, justice track,
[2:05:34] subdivision, lots g and h, square two, a portion, lot two,
[2:05:39] into lots one through 32. Square one in lots one
[2:05:43] through 32, square two. An ordinance approving the
[2:05:47] preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lot 34a, modern farms, unit 1 subdivision
[2:05:53] into lot 34c and lot 34d, unit 1 subdivision. An ordinance
[2:06:00] approving the preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lot k4d
[2:06:04] into lots k4d1 and k4d2.
[2:06:08] amending the official zoning map and the official future land use map of jefferson
[2:06:13] parish, lot e and f. Square one justice track subdivision lots g and h square
[2:06:18] to a portion for a lot to located at 419 justice
[2:06:23] court to 770 justice court. More particularly, meaning the zoning from c1, c2,
[2:06:30] r1a to r1mh. An ordinance amending the standards and
[2:06:36] conditions for the processing, refining or bulk storage of
[2:06:41] flammable and combustible liquids. Approved for the vertex refining louisiana, llc
[2:06:47] marrero facility use oil refining facility and established by ordinance number
[2:06:52] 25307. An ordinance approving requested variance to the sign
[2:06:58] and landscape regulations of the mucd for seven brew coffee, located at 1151
[2:07:04] manhattan boulevard on proposed lot k4d2. An
[2:07:09] ordinance approving requested variance to the signed regulations of the cbz. For zia rotisserie
[2:07:15] and bar, located at 4436 veterans memorial highway 1a, section a, pontchartrain
[2:07:21] garden, subdivision. An ordinance to amend ordinance number 14796, the pay plan
[2:07:27] for the classified service to create the new job classification of parks and
[2:07:32] recreation business manager. An ordinance amending the 2026 operating budget,
[2:07:37] an ordinance amending the 2026 capital budget, and that's all the ordinances I have
[2:07:42] to read. All right. Thank you, madam clerk. On motion of councilman liljeberg, seconded by councilwoman bohannon,
[2:07:47] please vote in favor of these ordinances being read
[2:07:52] into summary. All right. And
[2:07:59] scott's absent. All right.
[2:08:05] hang on, I think that might have been from the last vote. It's going to be the same,
[2:08:09] but let's just clear it for formality. Start the voting. So please vote
[2:08:14] on these ordinances being read into summary. And adopting
[2:08:19] them, ending the vote. All right, six in favor, one absent. Councilman
[2:08:28] hollywood-lee, would you make a motion to adjourn? I make a motion
[2:08:32] to adjourn. Councilman kern are
[2:08:37] second and we are wait taking a official vote on adjournment. It's crazy. All right. Closing
[2:08:51] the vote and it is six yeas to adjourn, one absent. Thank
[2:08:56] you all for attending. I love the glass. Look at you.